While the Anti Corruption Branch (ACB) of the Delhi government is investigating the charges against the MCD, PWD and the NDMC in the alleged multi-crore streetlight scandal during CWG 2010, the Central Vigilance Commission is conducting a parallel inquiry into the closure report filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

In a recent report sent to the CVC, the CBI said while criminal charges were made out against the MCD, no criminal charges were made out against PWD and NDMC — the two departments under the then Sheila Dikshit government.

This month, the ACB had registered a case under sections of cheating, criminal conspiracy and sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act on a complaint by former PWD Minister Manish Sisodia. The ACB is probing allegations of irregularities in modernising the streetlight project, which was undertaken by the then Sheila Dikshit-led government.

The CAG had found that the total loss to the Delhi government was to the tune of Rs 286 crore owing to PWD, MCD and NDMC’s decision to use imported items instead of indigenous ones. The contractor, Space Age Switch Gears Limited went on to supply low-cost imported luminaries of Saudi make costing Rs 5,040 and charging Rs 25,704 for the same and in the process earning a profit of Rs 2.68 crore. A total of Rs 45.31 crore was spent on procurement of imported luminaries with Rs 28.95 crore by PWD, Rs 6.71 crore by MCD and Rs 10.34 crore by NDMC.

The complaint said despite the fact that the Shunglu Committee appointed by PM Manmohan Singh to investigate the project had found procedural violations by the then Lieutenant-Governor Tejender Khanna and then Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit in executing projects, the investigation did not indict anyone and that most of the investigations into the case were merely an “eyewash”.

Top-level CVC sources said when the scandal first surfaced, the CBI was directed to conduct a parallel investigation into the case.

While the CBI registered a case against the MCD, stating that irregularities were found and that they accounted for enough basis to level charges against the department, a city court framed charges against seven persons including four MCD officials for their role in the scandal. However, no one from the Delhi government was booked in the matter.